Reinvigorating democracy through random selection

posted by Brett Hennig | 197sc

Could the tumultuous last year in politics be the catalyst for a more vigorous search for better ways of doing democracy? Will the stark divisions in the political landscape that have been exposed in 2016 spur the search for alternate ways to create meaningful dialogue between the diverse members of society?

This forum will investigate how random selection offers ways of reinvigoting democracy. From policy juries and citizens' assemblies through to sortition legislatures, can random selection renew democratic legitimacy?

Come and hear about the spread of mini-publics across the world, the campaigns to institute and embed them in policy making, the bold idea of a randomly selected second chamber to replace the House of Lords - and the challenges thrown up by these initiatives.

Panel:

Brett Hennig (Director, Sortition Foundation and author of The End of Politicians: Time for a Real Democracy),

Claudia Chwalisz (Crook Public Service Fellow and author of The People's Verdict: Adding informed citizen voices to public decision-making),

Tim Hughes (Director, Involve).

Chaired by Graham Smith, Professor of Politics, Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster.

This event is a partnership between the Centre for the Study of Democracy and the Sortition Foundation.